FIRST THINGS FIRST | Nick Wright ANGRY Los Angeles Chargers Can END Kansas City’s Season | NFL

FIRST THINGS FIRST | Nick Wright ANGRY Los Angeles Chargers Can END Kansas City’s Season | NFL

actually a mustwin for Justin Herbert. I’m kind of offended by the question, but I like, you know, we do this on like a call in the morning and then I like get into the office and I wanted to like confirm because I’m on a train commuting during the I’m like, did I hear the question correctly? And then I ask Nick, I’m like, you are you’re good at these questions. Like I obviously a must win. I want to seed my time to you because you’re there’s if they literally no argument that it’s a must win. No, no, no. Listen, it is must win for Herbert and the Chargers. And it definitively is. It doesn’t mean it’s not a must-win for the Chiefs. It definitionally is. I’m not This isn’t who is it more important for any of those things. If the Chargers don’t win this game, they don’t have it. They have and they do run the very real risk according of playing a hold on you as they and they play the they run the very real risk by losing this game of playing in a week 18 win and you’re in lose and your season is out game which they have played in before and they found a way to lose to a Raiders team. Justin Herbert prominently involved in that game and I the collapse is a possibility with with a loss here. The Chiefs are hanging on for dear life, right? They are playing their worst football right now. They are as banged up on the offensive line as the Chargers are. So that is that is right now a fair fight piece of it. and you have an opportunity to vanquish this team and put your uh strangle hold on a playoff birth. If you can’t win this game in this spot, then you’re all of a sudden not only going to rally to make sure you do make the playoffs, but you’re also going to go on some type of run. Like the Chargers are not supposed to be, oh, happy to be here. CJ Strad first year with the Texans who by the way won a playoff game or happy to be here. CJ Strad second year with the Texans who by the way beat the Chargers in a playoff game. They’re supposed to be in this AFC playoff field. We’ve got the second most decorated quarterback. We’ve got one of the best coaches. We have a chance to win it. And they can prove to me that they can do that by winning this game. If they lose this game, then have Cowboys, Texans, and then potentially a must-win in Denver. I’m worried about the Chargers top to bottom. So, that’s why it’s a must-win. Okay. When we were starting out this OT thing very early on, obviously I’ve known you forever. I did this great what I thought was a great take and Brew cut me deep when he said, “That’s a lot of gobbly goop.” That’s what Nick just did. What What are you talking about? The Chargers can lose out and make the playoffs. No, not realistically. But not not realistically. But if the Chiefs lose this game, they’re done. Yeah, of course. So, obviously, objectively, it is a must-win for the Chiefs. And if the Chargers lose, they can beat the Texans. Well, let me ask you, they can they can beat anyone on their schedule. We just saw them beat Philly and we just saw them lose by four scores to the Jags. So we can we just saw like Yeah. Well, but so go ahead, bro. Well, it’s certainly not a literal must-win for the Chargers. All right. But in our it the must win. Danny watches the show. He knows. Danny Danny knows how must-win works. Let me ask you two guys this. If the Chargers lose this game to the Chiefs, but beat Dallas and then lose their next two, they still make they would miss. They would they would miss if the Chiefs the Chiefs went out. And again, in that case, yeah, I’m with Nick because here’s the thing. I think you are going Houston. Yes, you can. I think you will you will beat Dallas. you can beat the Texans, but with your offensive line in shambles, that pass rush, we just saw it against the Chiefs, I think that’s going to be tough for you. And same thing with in Denver playing for the one seat. And so who the Chargers are. Look, I’m not writing you off if you lose this because obviously the Chiefs have to win out, but yes, they they this is the year. First of all, your coach did say what a couple years ago, we’re winning multiple champions. Of course. Yeah. Nope. Okay. Okay, guys. This is not your year. What are you talking about? This team is decimated with injuries. The O line is decimated. This isn’t their year where if they don’t do it, it’s like, “Oh, man. Clearly Justin Herbert and Harbaugh aren’t the aren’t the duo that we thought they were.” That’s so disingenuous and so ridiculous. It’s amazing and incredible what the Chargers have been able to accomplish this season with Justin Herbert and Harbaugh right now. and the defense, everyone involved. I’m not trying to just put it on the shoulders of like a Harball and Herbert, but we know that’s obviously where all the attention goes. And so, if they come up short, if they lose, it’ll be like, “What was wrong with Herbert? What was wrong with Harbaugh?” And it’s like, “Miss me with the nonsense.” Um, this O line has obviously been decimated. And saying that it was that it’s a wash. Well, like against the Eagles and against the Texans, Justin Herbert was pressured 26 times. Patrick Mahomes 21 times. So Justin Herbert was actually pressured way more. Uh I I shouldn’t say way more. I didn’t mean to say way more, but more. So it’s not it’s not a a wash here. I mean, that’s that’s pretty absurd. And they and they both had uh 41 drop backs, 42 dropbacks. So it’s it makes it a pretty even um uh mix. And so I I don’t call that an automatic wash. Um five extra pressures. Um, man, on one side you could argue that that’s not that much. On the other side, you can say that’s actually huge, right? Like on it’s it it depends. It it it is it’s one of those things where it’s like, well, if you’re a Chargers fan, you think that was pass interference. If you’re a Chiefs fan, you think that was clean. like so um but five extra pressures in a game it is tough too because when you were pressured 26 times you’re like what’s an extra five you know 21 is still a ton so it’s not like I’m pretending like Mahomes was out there being protected but the point that I’m trying to argue is is that it’s been rough sledding for Justin Herbert and this O line okay uh it’s been rough but now to be fair. I don’t think the Chiefs are this just circling the drain team. I really don’t. Like Nick Sangler playing their worst football. They’re losing, but like they didn’t look terrible against the Cowboys. They didn’t look terrible against the Colts. Like they they don’t look terrible. They’re not playing their best football, but their worst football. That’s That’s a stretch. And the Chargers really are held together right now with, you know, the joke that I keep making cuz it’s hilarious. And every time I say it, everyone just says, “Man, you’re so funny.” They’re held together with Elmer’s glue. Like, it’s just it’s just the cheap glue from elementary school. Like, this is it’s it’s incredible what the Chargers have been able to accomplish. I mean, it really is. And so, to think that you can just like, you know, the Chiefs are favorite in this game. and and and and to a degree it makes sense because the Chargers, excuse me, the Chiefs have more firepower. They have more firepower. They have a quarterback that didn’t break his hand and get surgery on it. You know, at this point it’ll be end up being a couple weeks, but still, you know, it’s it’s still something. Like I I read an article or I read a a sentence, not an article, that Herbert said, you know, X-rays are mo, you know, it’s still not broken. the x-rays are mostly good or something like the way how he phrased it was like no it’s good it’s mostly good or whatever mostly clean no nothing’s broken or anything and it just like mostly like what are these x-rays showing then you know like what what what do you see then uh it was it was just interesting phrasing to me but I mean the dude’s been getting rocked uh since day one literally since day one um the reality is is and I know Nick believes this fully in his heart of all hearts, the Chiefs have more firepower. Xavier Worthy, Rasheed Rice, Kelsey. Again, I know these are they’re imperfect. Everyone’s not playing their best, etc., etc. But then he also went off and said that I trust Andy Reid to find a way through the offensive line issues and the game plan, etc., etc. And I don’t think he feels that way about, you know, uh, Harbaugh, Roman, etc. So, you know, and also the Chiefs technically have the better defense. they technically have the better defense. So, the way how I look at it is if the Chargers win this game, then I do think that’s massive. Uh I mean, I I think that will be incredibly impressive. I’ll make the argument now that I’m looking at this uh schedule right now, all things considered, the way how this has all unfolded, the way with all the injuries, etc., etc., Um, that will be the most impressive win of the season to me. Not necessarily the Eagles because the Eagles are the Eagles right now. And I understand the Chiefs are the Chiefs right now. We can kind of play that game. But I would just be much more impressed on the road. Arrowhead, you have the ability to really just be like, “Goodbye, Kansas City.” Like, “See you later. See you literally, see you next year. See you next fall. Have a nice trip. See you next fall.” Like literally. And I I’ll be really impressed if they find a way to win that game. Um you could really make the argument that the Chargers should have lost to the Eagles. And again, I c celebrated that win. It was absolutely amazing. It was incredible to watch. Justin Herbert, the the toughness, the grittiness. But I I I will say like firmly, it’s like it was an overtime field goal and you had five turnovers on the Philadelphia. You had five turnovers. That is a ton. Realistically, four, which is a ton. And you still needed and a missed field goal by the Eagles. And you still needed overtime. And the Eagles were were about to win that game. If they were just a little bit smarter, they they there’s a great argument to say they’re going to win this game or at the very least tie it, right? At the very least tie it. Um and that takes nothing away from the Chargers at all. Multiple things can be true. Um, but uh I that a win against the Kansas City Chiefs I would be significantly impressed with. Um, I do think the Cowboys are lo is a lossable game. I do think the Texans is a lossable game. The Broncos are going to be the most interesting because will the Broncos be playing for the one seed in a first round buy or no? Not a single starter is playing that game, right? Like that both scenarios are very realistic. are very realistic. I think all things considered when your quarterback is getting pressured and hit a hund times a game you and your quarterback has a broken a broken hand and got surgery a couple weeks ago. Every game is losable. Every single game is lossable. It’s on the table to lose any game you play. So, so, um, Danny’s kind of like, well, we beat the Broncos before. We could beat the Texans and the Cowboys. And it’s like, I’m not saying that you should doubt them. I’m just saying you got to be careful with the confidence. You can have the belief in the Chargers and all of that, but it’s just like when you’re getting hit that many times and your quarterback is genuinely banged up and the things that that quarterback needed to do just to get by the Eagles despite the defense getting all those turnovers and the Eagles inability to just execute with any degree of of consistency. Um, I’m just not going to c I’m I’m not going to imagine that you’ll get similar games from the Chiefs, the Cowboys, and the starting Broncos roster, if it is indeed the starting Broncos roster. Um, so that’s just kind of where I’m looking at it. Um, this whole this whole nonsense that like this is the Chargers year and it’s like, are we serious right now, man? Yes. if they were full strength and that’s what I said a couple weeks ago where I was just like man Chargers if you guys were just healthy this could this would be your year then I would agree but it’s like they got running backs dropping like flies they got O line dropping like flies like you know like it’s just just it’s just not fair to to to to do that I I it’s remarkable that they’ve been able to win and do it in a way that the that the Chiefs simply have been unable to do. And so it’s like that’s that’s impressive enough if you’re saying Andy and Mahomes and Spags and etc etc. Like it just it’s just not like well you gotta win a Super Bowl this year. It’s like that’s such nonsense. That is such absolute utter nonsense and makes no sense. And so I I hate that they keep putting that out there like that. They keep framing the discussion like that. Nick did this last season when the Chargers were clearly a brand new team. Harbaugh comes in there. He’s trying to like rework everything, rework the defense, rework the offense, right? Like he’s got to rebuild everything. Draft alignment. Like there’s there’s things that they got to do. Um and Nick’s like, there’s no excuses for Harbaugh not for for Herbert not to win this year. He’s got everything he could ask for. And I’m just like, that’s ridiculous. Like that’s that’s absurd. And Herbert was bagged up the whole season as well. So it’s just like I don’t know, man. I just I I hate that. I I I hate those narratives that it’s just it’s just you’re setting them up to fail and it’s just it’s just it’s unfair. It’s unfair. You’re you’re painting the picture like the the the Chargers have been in that that Herbert has been in the position of like the Buffalo Bills with Josh Allen or something and you’re just like, “Come on, man. We’ve been giving you stuff for year. We’ve been giving you enough relatively speaking because I don’t think the Bills have given enough to Josh Allen, but enough for years. Now you got an upgrade. You finally, right, like you upgraded that coach. got rid of Shawn McDermott and we brought you Harbaugh, right? Like your defense hasn’t been good and now we gave you a great defense, right? Like we’ve given you those things. Now it’s up to you. It’s like that’s not the situation. Herbert’s keeping this thing afloat and the vast majority of quarterbacks and coaches, this would have just completely plummeted. Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid themselves are struggling to keep this thing afloat. So, if you’re going to tell me if Nick’s going to have the belief that that the Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs and Andy Reid are the greatest thing in the history of the universe, you’re asking the Chargers to be able to accomplish something the Chiefs haven’t done. And I’m not going to go on that whole long rant like I’ve done in the past with that specific take, but it’s just like it just doesn’t make it just it’s unfair. Um, and so that that always irks me. But when we do look at the standings, c can they lose out and still make the playoffs? Probably not. Um I mean it’s possible, but I probably not. Uh you do have a tiebreaker with um the Steelers. So, if the Steelers now fall, you know, if you’re fighting for that final spot, uh, you know, because then really realistically, I guess the Steelers would have to keep losing um, if that, you know, if they fall down, uh, because if you’re at that seven spot, you have to imagine that the the Texans would win now, right? They’d beat you. So, you lose out. So, now the Texans would leave Frogue. The Bills are not going to lose out, so they’re going to leave, you know? So, like everyone else is going to be getting at least 10 wins or nine wins and then they’ll have the tiebreers. So that’s why I jumped to the Steelers where I’m like, “Okay, if you’re down, if you’re competing for the seven the seven spot and and it comes between, you know, I I I guess you and the Steelers, that’s the best case scenario there, then.” So it seems kind of like a silly thing to even try to figure out. And then I’ve done this so many times, but then I guess um if you then are end up in a tiebreaking scenario with the Chiefs, which I guess again in this possibility everyone’s trying to make up right now, it would be possible the head-to-head would be a wash and then the best one loss tied percentage in games played within the conference. Um and again, I guess then the the Chargers are would be locked in at seven and two or no no, excuse me, because then they would be losing. They would lose to the Chiefs 7-3. Uh they’d lose to the Texans, so that’ be 7-4. Uh the Broncos seven and five. So, right. And then the Chiefs uh if the Chiefs win out, that’s four games. Are all four of their games against um all four of their games, are they against uh conference? Yes. So then that would be a wash. Now it’s best one loss tied percentage in common games minimum of four. I think I’m doing this all right. These tiebreaking scenarios make my head spin. Um common games minimum of four. Then things get a little weird because then you both split with the Broncos at that point under this scenario. Um, so that’s two games now each. So then you just need another two. You both played the Eagles. The the Chiefs lost to the Eagles. The Chargers beat the Eagles. You would have both played the Cowboys. And you then in this scenario would have both lost to the Cowboys. You both swept the Raiders. The Chargers lost to the Giants and the Chiefs beat the Giants and you lost to the commanders and the and the Chiefs beat the Commanders. So then that’s when you would that’s where you would lose a tiebreaker. That’s and you and you lost to the Colts. So you would you you get you get you get owned in that tiebreaker then at that point. So yeah, in a nutshell, losing out is not the way to go. Uh, I think Danny’s a little he’s uh saying that with his chest out a little too a little too strongly quite frankly. Like uh don’t know about that. Um I mean we we we see what the Texans are doing to teams right now defensively. That’s going to be a hard one. Uh but it does seem, you know, right? as long as you just get this one win. If the Chiefs win out and the Chargers just get one win, I think that still then does it though, at least for um it it should at least do it, I guess, because then the only person that can really I I I guess unless the Colts kind of keep winning, but that’s really hard to see. So, you’re you’re you are looking at one of these six and seven teams trying to catch you. They win they win four games. Yeah, I guess that kind of still continues to potentially put them in a in a similar situation there because especially if the Chiefs win out and the Chargers lose out, then the Chiefs will have those 10 wins and so then you wouldn’t apply those tiebreers. So, uh the Chargers would still have to at least win that one game. So, I guess the number for them is really two games to to really feel extra extra confident about it. I don’t know. doing all trying to figure this all out is is a is a labor, man. Um, the most winnable games that I see up there are the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos specifically because there’s a great chance the Broncos don’t care about that game. Even if they lose homefield advantage and it’s just the Patriots, their two seed will most likely be locked in place. Maybe they play B and that offense and that team for the first quarter or something. I I don’t know. I don’t I don’t I don’t really know how Shawn Payeyton has handled that in the past or or what, you know, various coaches have done in terms of that. It’s not that you know, most coaches usually sit everyone out there. But I don’t know if you’re a younger team, there’s kind of the argument of of kind of keeping them in rhythm, but you certainly don’t want to risk injury. So, who really knows? But I I think there’s a great chance that you’re really not playing a full strength Denver Broncos team in that final game. So it’s really kind of just like find win one, you know, one out of those next three games. What’s your what’s your best chance at that? Um so but the Chargers are part of the conversation right now and it’s a real conversation which is which is pretty cool. Um, it’s kind of funny if you’re a Chargers fan, and I’ll end here. You want to beat the Chiefs because obviously then it’s just like, see a buy, it’s it’s done. But also, you don’t want the Chiefs to lose out. Like, you don’t want the Dolphins to leap frog them. Like, you you want the Chiefs to win enough games where they’re not draft. Like, you don’t want the the the the Chief the the Dolphins to leave Frogum, the Bengals to leave Progum, the Ravens. like you you because then they get better draft order. So you you do want them to win and just come up short of the playoffs. You don’t want them to sink below all these other teams cuz then they’ll be drafting. You go one side, you could be like, “Wow, you are a bottom five team.” Or, you know, they they can’t I don’t think they can’t be bottom five, but like they would be clear, you know, a bottom team, but like you do want them to just miss the playoffs to get like nine wins, ideally like 10 wins or something, but it’s still not enough. and then all these other teams still draft them because if you give the Kansas City Chiefs um high draft picks in every round, first round, second round, third round, fourth round, I mean like they’ll they’ll be able to do damage with that pretty quickly. So, in in in a weird way, you probably want to beat the Chiefs and then have them win every other game from that point forward. Um and have the Dolphins lose, the Bengals lose. no one’s catching up with the Jets and the Cleveland Browns and those other teams. And you know, you want to see the Dallas continue to lose, Minnesota to continue to lose, Atlanta to continue to lose. Like you you do that, then they’re kind of stuck in this no man’s land where they’re like they’re they’re not high enough and um you know, not a lot to to work with there. miss a lot of the truly great special players and uh then you can kind of put yourself potentially in a in a head start position here uh for these next couple of years and really be able to build off that momentum. But those are just my thoughts. I’d absolutely love to hear yours. What do you guys all think about the Los Angeles about the San Diego Los Angeles Chargers? Um do you think this is a mustwin for Herbert and the Chargers? What do you think the expectations should be for this team and what they should be able to achieve? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. I read every single comment whether you agree with me or disagree with me. Either way, let’s get in some discussions. Let’s get in some fights. But ultimately, let’s just have some fun. And please do consider subscribing. 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FIRST THINGS FIRST | Nick Wright ANGRY Los Angeles Chargers Can END Kansas City’s Season | NFL
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